Broadband current noise and ac induced current steps by a moving charge density wave domain

The influence of shot noise due to depinning fluctuations in a moving charge density wave (CDW) domain on ac induced steps in the current voltage curve (CVC) is investigated theoretically. The transport model used is that of an overdamped particle in a sinusoidal pinning potential. In spite of overdamping the proposed current noise produces a threshold hysteresis in the CVC. It also tends to suppress higher order current steps. The total broadband noise power under pure dc excitation and the effects of harmonic mixing due to two strong ac signals at frequencies and 2 are also evaluated.     

Linear and non-linear ac response of the stochastic classical model for sliding charge density waves

A comprehensive study of the ac response properties of the classical stochastic model for sliding charge density waves (CDW) in quasi one-dimensional metals is made by numerically solving the associated Fokker-Planck equation. Above the conductivity threshold a noise mechanism is indispensable to give finite line widths to the resonances of the applied ac signal of frequency with the narrow band noise frequency _OSC inherent in the model. In the present investigation a current noise of strengthT _N proportional to the CDW current is used in the Fokker-Planck equation in order to model the broad band current noise frequently observed above threshold. The present model thus incorporates three characteristic frequency scales: _OSC,T _N ,and a crossover frequency _OSC. Results are evaluated for the ac conductivity (;E ₀,E ) as function of frequency , dc bias electric fieldE ₀ and ac signal field strengthE . ForE 0 the linear ac response is obtained by a separate treatment of the Fokker-Planck equation. The resonances near =_OSC are studied in detail. Strong ac signals reduce the response at the fundamental resonance and lead to a harmonic interference structure nearn=_OSC. The overall agreement of the present results with recent measurements of the linear ac response is not good. In reality our results seem to be superimposed on a background not reproduced by the classical model with one cross over frequency. However, the peak in Im (;E ₀,E =0) vs.E ₀, when the narrow band noise frequency is near , is well reproduced. The spectral width of this peak which corresponds to the inductive dip in the susceptibility is studied as function of current noise strengthT _N .The results stress the need for a complete Fokker-Planck treatment sinceT _N is not simply related to the line width.     

Fractional ac Josephson effect in p- and d-wave superconductors

For certain orientations of Josephson junctions between two p_x-wave or two d-wave superconductors, the subgap Andreev bound states produce a -periodic relation between the Josephson current I and the phase difference : . Consequently, the ac Josephson current has the fractional frequency , where V is the dc voltage. In the tunneling limit, the Josephson current is proportional to the first power (not square) of the electron tunneling amplitude. Thus, the Josephson current between unconventional superconductors is carried by single electrons, rather than by Cooper pairs. The fractional ac Josephson effect can be observed experimentally by measuring frequency spectrum of microwave radiation from the junction. We also study junctions between singlet s-wave and triplet p_x-wave, as well as between chiral -wave superconductors.Received: 24 September 2003, Published online: 2 April 2004PACS: 74.50. + r Tunneling phenomena; point contacts, weak links, Josephson effects - 74.70.Kn Organic superconductors - 74.72.-h Cuprate superconductors (high-T_c and insulating parent compounds) - 74.70.Pq Ruthenates     

Charge density wave transport in NbSe<Subscript>3</Subscript> at low temperatures under high magnetic field

Charge density wave (CDW) depinning and sliding regimes have been studied in NbSe₃ at low temperatures down to 1.5 K under magnetic field of 19 T oriented along the c-axis. We found that the threshold field for CDW depinning becomes temperature independent below T ₀ ≈ 15 K. Also CDW current to frequency ratio characterizing CDW sliding regime increases by factor 1.7 below this temperature. The results are discussed as a crossover from thermal fluctuation to tunneling CDW depinning at T < T ₀. Besides, we found that CDW sliding strongly suppresses the amplitude of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations of magnetoresistance.     

Electrical properties of some crystalline salts of adenine

In the present paper we report the first experimental results on ac and dc conductivity and permittivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate and adenine sulphate measured at atmospheric and high hydrostatic pressures. For both materials ac conductivity is of ^s type, where:s 1·1· Room temperature dc conductivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate equals approximately 5×10^{–15 –1} cm^–1 with an activation energy of 0·86 eV; dc conductivity of adenine sulphate is less than 10^–16 cm^–1. On the basis of these measurements and those carried out at high pressure, it is concluded that conductivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate is of electronic type.The authors wish to thank Dr. J. Zachová for the preparation of adenine salts single crystals.     

Structural relaxation effects on the low-temperature properties of vitreous silica

Measurements of the low-temperature specific heatC and thermal conductivity of vitreous silica after heat treatment at temperaturesT _a between 900°C and 1,400°C are reported. A decrease ofC and an increase of are observed over the whole temperature range studied (C0.06K<T<6K; 0.5 K<T<20 K). Below 1 K the changes inC and (10%) are attributed to a dependence of the density of tunneling states on the fictive temperature. Measurements of the thermal conductivity show that these changes are reversible, thus strongly supporting the evidence for a connection between the tunneling states and the quasi-equilibrium state which is frozen in when an undercooled liquid drops out of thermal equilibrium. Our results are compared to predictions of the free-volume theory of the glass transition. At higher temperaturesC decreases by roughly the same amount as below 1 K while increases by up to 30%. The dependence ofC and onT _a cannot be explained unambigously in terms of a phonon-fraction crossover in the vibrational density of states. Instead, a recently proposed model of coupled SiO₄ rotations is favored.Dedicated to B. Mühlschlegel on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Critical temperature and energy gap in superconductors with singular density of states

The influence of-functional (symmetric as well as asymmetric) singularities in density of states (DOS) on the critical temperature and zero temperature energy gap is calculated. Surprisingly, we have obtained the same function for the off-symmetry of the peak position in DOS on the corresponding critical temperature as for the temperature dependence of the energy gap in the strong-coupling limit. The enhancement of the critical temperature due to the singularity (compared with the constant DOS near the Fermi surface) is much lower for strong-coupling superconductors than in the weak-coupling limit. Hence, the singularity in DOS cannot be the exclusive reason for large values of critical temperatures in highTc superconductors.This work was supported by the grant GA SAV 188/1991.     

Tunneling conductance of a Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-SnO2 junction along the c-axis

fine structure was observed in the conductance curve of a tunneling junction composed of a single crystalline Bi2212 and an evaporated SnO₂ film. It is similar to those of Bi2212-GaAs mechanical junctions and there is a certain correspondence between the structure and the phonon density of states. Thus the previous conclusion that the structure is due to phonons has been complemented by this work. The energy gap 2 was 57 meV at 13 K and T _c was 78 K. 2(0)/k _B T _c is then 8.3. (T) showed the BCS-like temperature dependence.     

Low-temperature contribution to the resonant tunneling conductance of a disordered N–I–N junction

A formula for the contribution ΔG ^res(T) to the resonant tunneling conductance of the N–I–N junction (where N is a normal metal and I is an insulator) with a weak (low impurity concentrations) structural disorder in the I layer from the low-temperature “smearing” electron Fermi surfaces in its N shores is obtained. It is shown that the temperature dependence ΔG ^res(T) in such a “dirty” junction qualitatively differs from the corresponding dependence ΔG ₀(T) in a “pure” (without resonant impurities in the I layer) junction: ΔG ^res(T) < 0, d(ΔG ^res)/dT < 0; ΔG ₀(T) > 0, d(ΔG ₀)/dT > 0, which can serve as an experimental test of the presence of impurity tunneling resonances in the disordered I layer.     

Mesoscopic transport through toroidal carbon nanotubes threaded with a THz magnetic flux

We have investigated the quantum transport through mesoscopic systems with a toroidal carbon nanotube coupled with two metal leads (N-TCN-N) threaded with an ac magnetic flux. The energy shifting takes place by applying the magnetic flux, and this shifting arises from both the dc and ac components of magnetic flux. The dc magnetic flux induces the periodic variation of energy gap E _g of the TCN, and the ac magnetic flux component always increases the energy gap. As the photon energy is larger than the energy gap , the electrons in the valence band can jump to the conductance band at zero temperature, and the tunneling current appears for , ( ). The differential conductance and tunneling current display clear effect of ac flux by modifying the current oscillation structures. The photon-assisted tunneling current exhibits stair-like I-V characteristics, and it shows different behaviors for different TCN systems. The magnitude of the current is suppressed by the applied ac flux. We also present the time-dependent current evolution, which is contributed by the oscillating current components.Received: 31 May 2004, Published online: 3 August 2004PACS: 73.40.-c Electronic transport in interface structures - 73.63.Fg Nanotubes - 73.61.Wp Fullerenes and related materials - 73.22.-f Electronic structure of nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals     

Electrical and thermal properties of chalcogenide glass system Se75Ge25−x Sb x

The dc and thermal conductivities of five different compositions of the chalcogenide glass system Se₇₅Ge_25–x Sb _x have been studied in a temperature range below T _g. The dc conductivity results indicate that each composition has a single activation energy in the considered temperature range. The coefficient of thermal conductivity increased linearly with temperature below T _g for the compositions investigated. The increase of Sb content in the chalcogenide glass system leads to an increased coefficient of electrical conductivity , an increased coefficient of thermal conductivity , and to a decreased activation energy E and pre-exponential factor ₀. The observed compositional dependencies of and E have been correlated with the increase of weak bond density and the decrease of covalent bond density in the structure of the compositions investigated with increasing Sb content at the expense of Ge content. The decrease in ₀ and the increase in has been, respectively, correlated with the decrease in mobility and the increase in phonon velocity.     

Pseudogap in the electronic density of states of superconducting glasses

Two loop order results for the electronic density of states (DOS) of both Ising- and XY-type superconducting glass phases are presented. Maximal depression of the DOS by critical fluctuation corrections to its finite mean field value is found to occur at the Fermi energyE _F . The theory is renormalizable and exponentiation of the loop expansion yields (E _F)=0 for the DOS in two dimensions and for arbitrarily small disorder. It is also concluded that the DOS assumes nonzero values, when either |E–E _F|, or magnetic field H, or temperature T become nonzero. A pseudogap (atT=0,H=0) or a smeared gap (forH0 orT0) is thus obtained with a DOS-minimum at the Fermi level. A rough estimate of the effective width is given. In three dimensions, the DOS atE _F vanishes like (n _c ^I –n)^1/2 for the Ising-type glass and like (n _c ^XY –n)¹ for the XY-type glass as the impurity concentrationn exceeds characteristic values. At second loop order, the calculation contains a nontrivial indication of a lower critical dimension two.     

A theory of the weakly pinned Fröhlich mode

Extending earlier work of Littlewood (1987) a theory for the collective mode (Fröhlich mode) response of weakly pinned charge density waves (CDW) is given. Long range Coulomb interaction is incorporated in both a proper definition of the measured ac conductivity _CDW() and in the Fukuyama-Lee-Rice treatment of phason dynamics. The frequency and wave number dependent quasi particle resistivity is shown to appear only in the internal phason lines in the perturbation expansion of the impurity averaged phason propagatorD _ren. Quantitative results for _CDW() are evaluated within the self-consistent Born approximation toD _ren in three spatial dimensions taking anisotropy into account. Besides the low frequency relaxation mode we find a significant effect of the longitudinal optical phason _LO on the Fröhlich mode pinning frequency when descreening sets in at low temperatures. This is yet another manifestation of selection rule breaking by inhomogeneous pinning and establishes the special role that _LO plays in the dynamics of CDW. An explicit analytical formula for _CDW() is given and discussed in some detail including the important analyticity properties. Available measurements of the linear ac response in a wide range of frequencies and conductivities are compared with the theory and found to agree with the theoretical predictions supporting the concept of weak pinning in CDW.     

Tunneling conductance of a Bi2−xPbxSr2Ca2Cu3O10−y-SnO2 junction

Fine structures were observed in the tunneling conductance of a sintered Bi 2223-SnO₂ junction. The structures are weaker than those of a single crystalline Bi2212. They correspond to the Raman spectrum of Bi2223 and approximately to the phonon density of states of Bi2212. The structures must therefore be phonon structures, and phonons may contribute substantially to highT _c superconductivity. Multiphonon structures are scarcely discernible. Hence we propose a new model, in place of the prior multiphonon model, to explain the rapid increase inT _c with the CuO₂ layer number. 2 (21 K)=68±4 meV inT _c=98±5 K. 2 (0)/k _B T _c is 8.1±0.9. The temperature dependence of the gap was also observed and discussed.     

On the theory of layered high-temperature superconductors

Assuming that charge carriers form a Fermi liquid state, we study a model for layered high-temperature superconductors with unretarded intralayer and interlayer pairing. Guided by band structure calculations and inverse photoemission experiments, we adopt a tight binding band with nearest and next-nearest neighbors hopping within the sheets and weak interlayer hopping. The gap equations are solved numerically, without imposing a cutoff energy, characteristic to phonon mediated superconductivity. On this basis we calculate the gap parameters,T _c , the tunneling conductance, infrared absorption and the coherence length for various band fillings =1/2–x by introducing excess holes of concentrationx. Assuming the interlayer coupling strength to be smaller than the intralayer one, our main results are as follows:T _c is dominated by the intralayer properties, reaching a maximum atx0.3, where strong coupling features appear. In the presence of interlayer pairing, the gap becomes anisotropic perpendicular to the layers, and standard BCS-behavior is modified. In particular the BCS-square root singularity in the density of states and in the tunneling conductance is replaced by van Hove singularities characterizing the anisotropic gap. In particular, we investigate the anisotropy of the tunneling conductance for specular and diffuse tunneling for a junction parallel or perpendicular to the layers, infrared absorption, as well as the coherence length, parallel and perpendicular to the layers.     

DC Conductivity and Peierls instability in the quasi-one-dimensional organic charge density wave conductor (fluoranthene)2X

Due to the high anisotropy of the dc conductivity (σ_|/σ_⊥ ≈ 10⁴) the organic conductor (fluoranthene)₂X can be regarded as a model system for studying the Peierls instability in quasi-one-dimensional systems. The temperature dependence of the dc conductivity σ_| (T) along the highly conducting crystal axis exhibits the typical behaviour of a quasi-one-dimensional metal with a Peierls transition at about 180 K to a charge density wave (CDW) ground state. As expected for a highly one-dimensional conductor the exact transition temperature depends on three-dimensional coupling effects and therefore on the size of the counterion X^? = PF, AsF, SbF. Above the Peierls transition σ_| (T) can be described quantitatively within a model of CDW fluctuations leading to a pseudo gap in the electronic density of states. Below, the existence of a real energy gap at the Fermi level with a BCS-like temperature dependence determines the charge transport over more than eight orders of magnitude in the electrical resistance. For the intrinsic energy gaps 2 Δ (0), which characterize the ground state of the Peierls semiconductor, values of 120-180 meV have been found for different crystals.     

On the effect of impurities on charge density wave fluctuations in quasi-1D systems

The effect of impurities on the CDW fluctuations is calculated in the framework of the quasi-1D metallic model with Coulomb-type interchain interaction. NearT _c a generalized Ginzburg-Landau theory is applied to account for 3D fluctuations. Different characteristic temperatures, fluctuation contribution to the resistivity and the electronic density of states are calculated and compared with experimental results by Chiang et al. with controlled disorder in TTF-TCNQ forT>54 °K.This work was supported by Sonderforschungsbereich 130 FerroelektrikaOn leave of absence from Central Research Institute for Physics, Budapest, Hungary     

Low-lying collective modes in the charge density wave state inn-type inversion layers of semiconductors

Acoustic-phonon like low-energy long-wave length collective excitations are shown to exist in the charge density wave (CDW) ground state of a two-valley model forn-type inversion layers. The dispersion of the collective modes are obtained by calculating the two-particle Green's function within the random phase approximation, and the sound velocity is investigated as a function of interaction parameters and temperature. Physically the modes represent the phase oscillation of the CDW and the fluctuation of the population difference between two valleys; these two modes are coupled to each other.On leave of absence from the Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan     

Dynamics of the formation of two-dimensional ordered structures

The growth of ordered domains in lattice gas models, which occurs after the system is quenched from infinite temperature to a state below the critical temperatureT _c, is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. For a square lattice with repulsion between nearest and next-nearest neighbors, which in equilibrium exhibits fourfold degenerate (2×1) superstructures, the time-dependent energy E(t), domain size L(t), and structure functionS(q, t) are obtained, both for Glauber dynamics (no conservation law) and the case with conserved density (Kawasaki dynamics). At late times the energy excess and halfwidth of the structure factor decrease proportional tot ^–x, whileL(t) t ^x, where the exponent x=1/2 for Glauber dynamics and x1/3 for Kawasaki dynamics. In addition, the structure factor satisfies a scaling lawS(k,t)=t ^2xS(kt^x). The smaller exponent for the conserved density case is traced back to the excess density contained in the walls between ordered domains which must be redistributed during growth. Quenches toT>T _c, T=T_c (where we estimate dynamic critical exponents) andT=0 are also considered. In the latter case, the system becomes frozen in a glasslike domain pattern far from equilibrium when using Kawasaki dynamics. The generalization of our results to other lattices and structures also is briefly discussed.